ANOTHER old Max Arc welder query

hugozair · 2026-04-09T18:27:42+0100

50 years ago I bought Max Arc 0 180 amp (@55V) welder. A heavy old oil filled lump withcontinuously variable current control. It still works perfectly but I'm downsizing and it has to go.
Question is, do these 1970's welders have PCB oils in them. I have to decide what to do with it.
You can just see a bit of the top in the attached 50 year old photo photo....

harveyp6 · 2026-04-09T18:38:42+0100

Sell it.

Have you still got the Grunter estate?

hugozair · 2026-04-09T19:45:03+0100

But can I just sell it ? would it be legal if there are pcb in it ..That really was the point of asking..
And no, I don't :-) It was replaced by a Vauxhall FE, 2.3 Victor which I drove for ten years. The longest I ever had a car apart from my present Austin 7 which I've had for nearly 18 years :-)
You must be a hillman fan to have recognised it from that tail light corner !! So.... PCBs or not ?

harveyp6 · 2026-04-09T19:55:41+0100

Recognizing the taillight was easy.

If your welder has oil in it you won't know what it contains unless you have it tested. If it isn't leaking I can't see any problems with selling it.
If it was in the above described condition it wouldn't stop me buying it.

Used engine oil is carcinogenic and I had no idea about that for about the first 30 years I was in the motor trade, and even then I still carried on in the same way.

I'm sure someone with more specific knowledge will be along shortly

brightspark · 2026-04-09T21:18:39+0100

transformers and some capacitors were filled with oil containing pcb poly chlorinated byphenol it was banned in 1876, its carcinogenic if handled on a regular basis but contained its not a problem. thousands of transformers are still filled with it